Diocese of Arundel and Brighton
SECTION 48 INSPECTION REPORT
Report on the inspection of denominational education under Section 48 of the Education Act 2005
Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary School
The Green
Rottingdean
East Sussex
BN2 7HA
Chair of Governors: Mrs C Plater
Headteacher: Mrs E Prior
Inspectors : Mrs A Ireland, Miss T Kenefick
Inspection date: 18 June 2007
Introduction
Description of the school
The school is voluntary aided. It is situated in the Brighton and Hove Deanery of the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton. It is maintained by Brighton and Hove Local Authority. The principal parishes which the school serves are Our Lady of Lourdes, Rottingdean, St Patrick's, Woodingdean and The Immaculate Conception, Peacehaven. The proportion of pupils who are baptised Catholics is 92%. The average weekly proportion of curriculum time given to religious education is 10% in Key Stage 1 and at least 10% in Key Stage 2.
The school takes pupils from 4 to 11 years. The number of pupils currently on roll is 212. The attainment of pupils on entering the school is broadly around average. The proportion of pupils eligible for free schools meals is below average. Around 13.5% of the pupils receive extra support in class. There are a growing number of pupils from several ethnic minority groups. The proportion of pupils from homes where English is an additional language is below average.
Key for inspection grades
Grade 1 Outstanding
Grade 2 Good
Grade 3 Satisfactory
Grade 4 Inadequate
Overall effectiveness as a Catholic school
Our Lady of Lourdes is a good school with many outstanding features, such as the leadership and management of the school and religious education, the Catholic ethos and the quality of the assemblies. It is a warm and welcoming school, where pupils feel safe and well cared for. Staff and governors, guided by the mission statement, work together to create a stimulating learning environment, which has a direct impact on the quality of education pupils receive. This is a self reflecting community with high expectations, which has a clear understanding of its areas for development, including assessment and the provision of more activities which challenge pupils. All issues identified in the previous inspection have been fully addressed. The school is clearly focussed on continuing to raise standards and therefore has a great capacity for further improvement.
Grade 2
What steps need to be taken to improve further?
Continue to plan for a range of activities which challenge all pupils and match their learning needs;
Continue to develop assessment, including strategies for assessment for learning, particularly with regard to marking.
The Catholic life of the school
Leadership and management
The leadership of the headteacher, strongly supported by the senior management team and governors is outstanding. She has a focussed vision of Catholic education, which she successfully shares with all members of the school community. She is committed, not only to developing the individual as a unique and valued member of the school, but also to the creation of an inclusive, extended community, based on Gospel values. Governors support all aspects of school life. This is acknowledged at the beginning of the school year, when they, along with pupils, staff and the Friends of Our Lady’s association receive special candles as a sign that they are part of the learning and praying community. Governors have undertaken a thorough self evaluation of their roles and responsibilities. They carry out monitoring, as evidenced by the report written by the link governor for religious education. They attend and participate in events and celebrations and they meet parents. As a consequence they have a very good understanding of the school’s areas of strength and development. The mission statement, which stresses the partnership with home, parish and the wider world, is central to the work and life of the school. In order to emphasise its importance in driving the work of the school, time is spent at the beginning of the school year discussing its meaning and relevance with pupils. It is constantly referred to throughout the year and is visibly present in classes and around the school. For example there is a large display on Our School Community Mission in the lobby.
Grade 1
Quality of Catholic life of the school
The visual appearance of the school is exemplary in promoting its Catholic identity. High quality artefacts, displays, such as the one celebrating reception of the sacraments, and focal areas, such as those on the Holy Trinity and the Eucharist in the school entrance, are much in evidence. Relationships within the school community are very good. Teachers provide good role models for pupils and this together with high expectations and a clear code of conduct; based on positive affirmation, result in excellent pupil behaviour. There is a strong sense that staff and pupils belong to a Catholic and inclusive community. This is clearly demonstrated during a special assembly when new pupils and adults are invited to walk under the Welcome Arch. The care and welfare of pupils is a high priority. For example, all members of staff have chosen to undergo training in the Rainbows programme in order to support pupils experiencing loss. Pupils are encouraged to take responsibility in a variety of ways. There is an expectation that even younger pupils should care for their surroundings and help each other. There is an enthusiastic school council whose views are taken seriously by staff and pupils. It has been responsible for improvements, such as the provision of equipment for wet playtimes. Parents have very positive attitudes towards the school. One parent wrote, ‘The Catholic ethos of the school is present in every aspect of Our Lady of Lourdes’. Parents appreciate the care given to their children. They are kept well informed about the life and work of the school through the informative web site, regular newsletters and curriculum information which includes religious education. Their views are sought on issues such as the healthy eating initiative. They are invited to attend and participate in liturgies and assemblies which emphasises that they are part of the school family. Links with the parishes are strong. Parishioners are invited to celebrate and worship with the school, and shared activities take place in the school, church or convent. Both priests are welcome in school. Their involvement has a positive impact on the spiritual life of the school. The parish priest leads the Rosary group each week. He visits classes and works with pupils as well as celebrating Mass. The priest from the neighbouring parish is invited to and takes part in school celebrations, including the service of Reconciliation. The school fully supports the parish based preparation for the sacraments. The school has very good relationships with the local Catholic primary schools and works closely with local schools on the extended schools agenda. The school is also involved with the ‘Connecting classrooms’ project and working closely with the local Catholic secondary school has established links with schools in Tanzania and Senegal.
Grade 1
Quality of provision for personal and collective worship
The provision for personal and collective worship is good with many outstanding features. The school more than fulfils its statutory obligations through a rich programme of liturgies, Masses and assemblies. Many of these form part of the tradition of the school, such as the May Procession and the Passion Mime. These celebrations provide pupils with excellent opportunities to participate in acts of worship. The assembly on Special places was outstanding. All the elements of liturgy were in place. Pupils’ attention was captured by the inspirational way the headteacher developed the theme. The assembly was further enhanced by a group of pupils who interpreted the scripture with a moving and deeply spiritual mime. Pupils participated with a sense of awe and wonder. Teachers have been given good support to enhance the quality of classroom liturgy, including a helpful planning sheet. This has had a positive impact on class worship. Prayer is central to the life of the school. It forms part of the daily life of pupils and staff. For example the weekly staff briefing begins with a lighted candle and prayer. Prayers are said at significant times throughout the day. Pupils know the traditional prayers of the Church. Every class has a focal area for prayer which is generally of a good standard. Music and candles are used to create a prayerful atmosphere. Pupils are encouraged to experience a variety of prayer forms, including meditation and spontaneous prayer. Opportunities for voluntary prayer are provided by the weekly Rosary prayer group which takes place in a designated area of the library. This area could be developed to create a quiet space for reflection and prayer for use by the whole school. Spiritual development is evident in the school ethos, acts of worship and the whole curriculum. For example, the diversity and richness of God’s people is celebrated and is evident in displays such as the one on Africa.
Grade 1
Religious education
Achievement and standards
Attainment is in line with expected levels and is sometimes above them. Pupils have a good knowledge of the religious education programme and are able to use religious vocabulary when discussing their faith and understanding. They are particularly good at being able to relate what they have learnt in lessons to their own lives and experiences. This was evident in their work on Freedom and Responsibility. Many pupils are making good use of skills and knowledge in other curriculum areas. For example, pupils in Year 6 were using their knowledge of geography to research special places. Pupils have very positive attitudes to religious education. They enjoy their lessons. One pupil said, ‘it’s fun and we learn lots of things’. Pupils listen attentively. Their behaviour is excellent. They work particularly well with talk partners. When given an activity they settle quickly and remain on task. This results in a quiet and purposeful learning environment and as a consequence good progress is made. Pupils are able to record their work in a variety of ways, including flow diagrams and empathetic writing. In one class, good use was made of photos to record non written activities. This is good practice. Some pupils are using ICT to enhance their work. For example, pupils in Year 1 were using the digital camera to collect pictures of their favourite places, while in Year 6, pupils were effectively accessing the internet as part of a research activity. This good practice should be shared. Work in books generally shows good progress.
Grade 2
Quality of provision for religious education
Teaching is good and often very good. Very good lessons are marked by a brisk pace, good subject knowledge and delivery and good questioning skills. Thorough preparation results in a high level of pupil response. All teachers share learning objectives with pupils. They have very good classroom organisation and management skills. They often use their own experiences to introduce the topic. They plan a variety of activates, such as ‘hot seating’ and meditation in order to engage pupils’ interest. Differentiated activities are planned but need to be developed in order to fully challenge all pupils, particularly the more able. The school has already identified this as an area for development. Good support is provided by teaching assistants. Assessment is developing well. Peer assessment is evident in some classes. Formative assessment is taking place during lessons, which ensures that good progress is made. Formal assessment takes place in accordance with diocesan guidelines. Samples of work are collected and annotated. Pupil tracking is in place. Work on assessment should continue in order to further inform planning and raise levels of attainment. All teachers mark work positively. Interactive marking has begun but needs to be developed consistently across the key stages. The school plans to begin implementation of this in September in order to strengthen work on assessment for learning.
Grade 2
The religious education curriculum
The school fully meets the Bishops’ requirements of 10% curriculum time for religious education. The recommended ‘Here I Am’ programme is used and all topics and themes are fully covered. The teaching of other faiths is enhanced by the school’s multi faith topic and through the contributions made by visitors and parents who are invited to share their faith experiences with pupils. Long, medium and short term planning is very good. The school is piloting the new diocesan planning format. Teachers’ planning is detailed and meticulous and is having a significant effect on teaching and learning. The religious education policy was recently reviewed. It is a comprehensive and helpful document. The co-ordinator is currently working with the diocesan adviser and the local authority on an updated programme for education for personal relationships which is linked to ‘Here I Am’ and other material. The sex education policy is based on a Catholic scheme of work.
Grade 2
Leadership and management
The leadership of the co-ordinator, in partnership with the headteacher is outstanding. As a result, the profile of religious education is very high and is acknowledged to be at the heart of the curriculum. The co-coordinator has a well defined monitoring role, which includes class observation, scrutiny of work and planning and moderation of standards. As a consequence she has an accurate view of what needs to be done. She gives excellent support to colleagues through individual advice and a comprehensive programme of staff meetings. She leads the subject very effectively, keeping abreast of new initiatives. For example, her involvement with the diocese on the education for personal relationship programme and planning has had a positive impact on standards within the school. A comprehensive action plan is in place and religious education enjoys a key position in the school improvement plan. An audit of resources and a generous budget have resulted in an excellent collection of resources which support the ‘Here I Am’ programme and worship. All staff work hard to create an attractive spiritual learning environment which celebrates pupils’ achievement. This is evident in the many high quality displays of pupils work throughout the school.
Grade 1